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In a movie full of con artists, Jennifer Lawrence steals "American Hustle" as a dimwit floozy married to low-class shyster. She could easily pull off an Oscars heist next and do what no other star has ever done: win in a supporting race one year after prevailing in lead. That may seem unlikely if viewed as a demotion for today's hottest screen diva (thank you, "Hunger Games"), but Ingrid Bergman and Gene Hackman both took the step down after reigning in lead. However, there were many years in between their multiple wins.

Oscar nominations are also possible for Amy Adams and Christian Bale in lead and Bradley Cooper in supporting – all of them shine in colorful roles rich with psycho-comic complexity. Adams has the best shot at winning. This year the lead actress race is overstuffed with older past champs and voters usually lust after babes, of course, especially ones who are overdue. Adams is Oscarless after four past losses.

"American Hustle" will also be nominated for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and lots of crafts. It could bag hair and makeup, but the big nagging question is: Can it win Best Picture? Yes, if it picks up kudos momentum at the critics' awards. Up till now, it looked like "12 Years a Slave" had those trophies from New York and Los Angeles in the bag, but now "Hustle" offers the journos a fun quirky alternative that has art-house cred thanks to Russell's sainted status among cineastes.

Beware: "Wolf of Wall Street" will pounce on the derby very soon. Screenings start around Dec. 1. At that point will have a better idea of the top Oscar races and we can firm up our predictions, but for now it is safe to say that "American Hustle" lives up to early expectations and it poses a serious threat ahead.

Sony held its first public screening Sunday of “American Hustle,” for an audience comprised largely of SAG Awards nominating-committee members — an appropriate move, since David O. Russell clearly loves actors and the feeling is mutual. Reviews are embargoed for another week, but suffice it to say: Big thumbs up.

SAG ballots went in the mail a few days ago, so the film’s timing is good. At a Q&A following the screening at the Cary Grant Theatre on the Sony lot, much of the talk centered around the performances and the director’s work with the cast, most of whom he’d worked with before.

Russell was asked what drew him to the script and he said, “I got very excited about these actors playing these roles.”

He added, “I feel all my work was leading to these three films,” referring to “The Fighter,” last year’s “Silver Linings Playbook” and now “Hustle.” All of them includes themes he likes in a script, such as romance and reinvention.

Amy Adams praised Russell for “going against type” in his casting. Asked about improvising on the set, she said Russell is so spontaneous, “You have to be lubricated…wait, that sounds wrong. I meant like an engine!”

Adams praised Christian Bale, too. “He is such a hero to me….He’s such a rock.” And she praised Jennifer Lawrence as “fearless and so much fun to work with,” while Bradley Cooper has “tireless positivity” — and is a good dancer.

One of the film’s editors, Jay Cassidy, also praised Cooper, who spent time in the editing room and always was generous in his suggestions about other actors. And Russell said that the character played by Jeremy Renner was “the heart that’s under the whole thing.”

The panel also included Renner, actress Elisabeth Rohm, casting director Mary Vernieu and costume designer Michael Wilkinson. He and Adams said their next project is the Superman-Batman movie, but politely declined to divulge any details. Adams said she still hasn’t read a script for it.

Russell did a pretty respectable Bob Hoskins impression. The actor had told Bale, “Acting: It’s not from the ears up, it’s from the feet up.” That “from the feet up” became the motto of Bale’s character in the film.

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COMMENTS (3)
Pete Hammond
Another piece of the Oscar season puzzle was unveiled Sunday night when Sony held the first major screening of David O. Russell‘s American Hustle (12/13) at the Cary Grant Theatre on the Culver City lot. The packed crowd was largely made up of SAG and a few Academy members, plus select press. Since this and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street (12/25 and which begins screening at the end of the month) have been the two remaining question marks before we have a clear view of the complete competitive landscape, the unveiling of this one was hotly anticipated. It was definitely the place to be. In fact, one New York-based consultant working on the film flew in Sunday afternoon specifically for the screening and flew back on the red-eye immediately afterwards.

If rivals were hoping it would be a bust, or at the very least a disappointment, I hate to bring them the bad news. Although formal reviews are verboten until early next month, I can say that from my vantage point, Russell, whose last two films Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Fighter (2010) were nominated for Best Picture and Director, as well as taking some acting Oscars, has another winner with a film that will have strong appeal particulary in the actors branch and at SAG. I also think, even in this fiercely contested year, Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Editing and Costume nods could be in the cards along with any number of possibilities for its superb ensemble including lead actor Christian Bale, lead actress Amy Adams, supporting actors Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner, and supportng actress Jennifer Lawrence. Especially Jennifer Lawrence. She is simply dazzling as Bale’s wife, a total knockout scene-stealer throughout. If she hadn’t already won last year as Best Actress for Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, there is no doubt she might be unbeatable here. At 23-years-old and the star of this weekend’s all-time November record breaker, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, she may well become the front runner anyway to take back-to-back Academy Awards after this performance gets seen. It’s prime Oscar bait. The actors, including voters I spoke to afterwards were clearly blown away. In fact the entire cast, which also includes a terrific unbilled one-scene cameo from Robert De Niro (who was nominated last year for Silver Linings) will certainly figure heavily for the SAG Outstanding Cast of a Motion Picture award. One person connected to the film to whom I spoke said early reaction had been on the mixed side, but I couldn’t detect that at this screening. It was all upbeat. Time will tell.

At last week’s Governors Awards, Russell told me he simply couldn’t pass up the chance to do this film which offered strong roles for stars of his last two films. So Bale and Adams from The Fighter joined Cooper, Lawrence and De Niro from Silver Linings. I remember Russell talking about prepping this film while at the same time hitting the awards circuit last year. Somehow despite all that he has pulled it off.

The film, loosely based on the 70s Abscam government sting operation which nailed several members of Congress, involves Bale and Adams in a con game where they team up with an out-of-control FBI agent played by Cooper. Bale is remarkable and, in customary fashion for him, put on 40 pounds and shaved his head so he could create a hairstyle with a god-awful combover. Adams is complex and excellent and Cooper, sporting a perm, matches his Oscar-nominated work in Silver Linings. Renner, even though playing a corrupt but likeable politician, also shines as the soul of this enterprise.

Russell’s last two films netted a total of seven acting nominations and three wins. I would expect more of the same this time. The director has a knack for getting the best from his performers and there is verve, excitement, energy and top-of-their-game acting in just about every frame. Russell puts these characters in your face and it’s something. It would be hard to imagine the actors branch passing this up despite killer competition in every category this year.

Afterwards Russell, Adams, Renner, co-star Elisabeth Rohm, editor Jay Cassidy, costume designer Michael Wilkinson and casting director Mary Vernieu appeared for a 40-minute Q&A. Although it is loosely based on real-life events, Russell took Eric Singer’s existing screenplay and did what Renner termed was a page-one rewrite. He gave the characters priority. “The love triangle and emotions are the center of the piece. I love the way people walk and talk and dress as much as I love the story,” Russell said. Rohm added, “With David, it’s all about the truth. You can discover things in moments”. The actors all said it was a free-flowing atmosphere on set with ever changing script pages. Editor Cassidy, who also won an Oscar nomination for Silver Linings, echoed that when he said in the editing room, “I got to be there for the final re-write.” There was also improv. In fact Adams, who doesn’t often take credit, said a scene in which she impulsively grabs Lawrence in the ladies room and kisses her full-on on the lips was actually her idea and she praised Lawrence for making it work. “She’s amazing. She’s fearless. I’m fearful, but I will do anything except I will do it with a lot of thought. Unless Jennifer is keeping a secret though, she’s completely fearless,” she said.

American Hustle itself is a fearless piece of American cinema and more evidence that David O. Russell is really on a roll. It’s my guess that Sony can add this one to Captain Phillips (which passed $100 million at the boxoffice this weekend) on its list of true contenders this season.

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Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 07:21:36 -0800
Subject: GOLD DERBY PIECE--Jennifer Lawrence steals 'American Hustle' - Is
Oscar #2 next?
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<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Jennifer Lawrence steals 'American Hustle' - Is Oscar #2 next?</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">By Tom O'Neil</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Nov 25 2013 00:00 Am</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">In a movie full of con artists,&nbsp; Jennifer Lawrence steals &quot;American Hustle&quot; as a dimwit floozy married to low-class shyster. She could easily pull off an Oscars heist next and do what no other star has ever done: win in a supporting race one year after prevailing in lead. That may seem unlikely if viewed as a demotion for today's hottest screen diva (thank you, &quot;Hunger Games&quot;), but Ingrid Bergman and Gene Hackman both took the step down after reigning in lead. However, there were many years in between their multiple wins.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Oscar nominations are also possible for Amy Adams and Christian Bale in lead and Bradley Cooper in supporting – all of them shine in colorful roles rich with psycho-comic complexity. Adams has the best shot at winning. This year the lead actress race is overstuffed with older past champs and voters usually lust after babes, of course, especially ones who are overdue. Adams is Oscarless after four past losses.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">&quot;American Hustle&quot; will also be nominated for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and lots of crafts. It could bag hair and makeup, but the big nagging question is: Can it win Best Picture? Yes, if it picks up kudos momentum at the critics' awards. Up till now, it looked like &quot;12 Years a Slave&quot; had those trophies from New York and Los Angeles in the bag, but now &quot;Hustle&quot; offers the journos a fun quirky alternative that has art-house cred thanks to Russell's sainted status among cineastes.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Beware: &quot;Wolf of Wall Street&quot; will pounce on the derby very soon. Screenings start around Dec. 1. At that point will have a better idea of the top Oscar races and we can firm up our predictions, but for now it is safe to say that &quot;American Hustle&quot; lives up to early expectations and it poses a serious threat ahead.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">----- Original Message -----</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">From: Reich, Ileen</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">To: Blake, Jeff; Caines, Dwight; Pascal, Amy; Belgrad, Doug; Minghella, Hannah; Dickerman, Sam; Caraco, Andre; Galgani, Angela; Hann, Gloria; Reich, Sara; 'croven@atlasla.com' &lt;croven@atlasla.com&gt;; 'rsuckle@atlasla.com' &lt;rsuckle@atlasla.com&gt;; 'megan@annapurnapics.com' &lt;megan@annapurnapics.com&gt;; 'matthewb@annapurnapics.com' &lt;matthewb@annapurnapics.com&gt;; 'jon@jgprods.com' &lt;jon@jgprods.com&gt;; 'ahorwitz@atlasla.com' &lt;ahorwitz@atlasla.com&gt;; van der Werff, Susan; 'JLieberman@caa.com' &lt;JLieberman@caa.com&gt;; 'JCampisi@caa.com' &lt;JCampisi@caa.com&gt;; 'Cynthia.Swartz@StrategyPR.net' &lt;Cynthia.Swartz@StrategyPR.net&gt;; 'Elena.Zilberman@StrategyPR.net' &lt;Elena.Zilberman@StrategyPR.net&gt;; 'michael.kupferberg@strategypr.net' &lt;michael.kupferberg@strategypr.net&gt;; 'DDinerstein@annapurnapics.com' &lt;DDinerstein@annapurnapics.com&gt;; Farrar, Ekta</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Cc: 'sammys@annapurnapics.com' &lt;sammys@annapurnapics.com&gt;; Landau, Kate</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Sent: Mon Nov 25 07:19:24 2013</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Subject: VARIETY PIECE--SAG Voters Get First Look at ‘American Hustle’ Muscle</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">SAG Voters Get First Look at ‘American Hustle’ Muscle</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">NOVEMBER 24, 2013 | 11:31PM PT</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Sony hosts its first public screening with Q&amp;A featuring film's director, stars</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">&nbsp;Awards Editor</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Tim Gray</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Awards Editor</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">@timgray_variety</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">RELATED STORIES</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Sony held its first public screening Sunday of “American Hustle,” for an audience comprised largely of SAG Awards nominating-committee members — an appropriate move, since David O. Russell clearly loves actors and the feeling is mutual. Reviews are embargoed for another week, but suffice it to say: Big thumbs up.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">SAG ballots went in the mail a few days ago, so the film’s timing is good. At a Q&amp;A following the screening at the Cary Grant Theatre on the Sony lot, much of the talk centered around the performances and the director’s work with the cast, most of whom he’d worked with before.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Russell was asked what drew him to the script and he said, “I got very excited about these actors playing these roles.”</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">He added, “I feel all my work was leading to these three films,” referring to “The Fighter,” last year’s “Silver Linings Playbook” and now “Hustle.” All of them includes themes he likes in a script, such as romance and reinvention.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Amy Adams praised Russell for “going against type” in his casting. Asked about improvising on the set, she said Russell is so spontaneous, “You have to be lubricated…wait, that sounds wrong. I meant like an engine!”</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Adams praised Christian Bale, too. “He is such a hero to me….He’s such a rock.” And she praised Jennifer Lawrence as “fearless and so much fun to work with,” while Bradley Cooper has “tireless positivity” — and is a good dancer.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">One of the film’s editors, Jay Cassidy, also praised Cooper, who spent time in the editing room and always was generous in his suggestions about other actors. And Russell said that the character played by Jeremy Renner was “the heart that’s under the whole thing.”</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">The panel also included Renner, actress Elisabeth Rohm, casting director Mary Vernieu and costume designer Michael Wilkinson. He and Adams said their next project is the Superman-Batman movie, but politely declined to divulge any details. Adams said she still hasn’t read a script for it.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Russell did a pretty respectable Bob Hoskins impression. The actor had told Bale, “Acting: It’s not from the ears up, it’s from the feet up.” That “from the feet up” became the motto of Bale’s character in the film.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">The Q&amp;A was conducted by Variety’s very own Jenelle Riley.</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">----- Original Message -----</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">From: Reich, Ileen</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">To: Blake, Jeff; Caines, Dwight; Pascal, Amy; Belgrad, Doug; Minghella, Hannah; Dickerman, Sam; Caraco, Andre; Galgani, Angela; Hann, Gloria; Reich, Sara; 'croven@atlasla.com' &lt;croven@atlasla.com&gt;; 'rsuckle@atlasla.com' &lt;rsuckle@atlasla.com&gt;; 'megan@annapurnapics.com' &lt;megan@annapurnapics.com&gt;; 'matthewb@annapurnapics.com' &lt;matthewb@annapurnapics.com&gt;; 'jon@jgprods.com' &lt;jon@jgprods.com&gt;; 'ahorwitz@atlasla.com' &lt;ahorwitz@atlasla.com&gt;; van der Werff, Susan; 'JLieberman@caa.com' &lt;JLieberman@caa.com&gt;; 'JCampisi@caa.com' &lt;JCampisi@caa.com&gt;; 'Cynthia.Swartz@StrategyPR.net' &lt;Cynthia.Swartz@StrategyPR.net&gt;; 'Elena.Zilberman@StrategyPR.net' &lt;Elena.Zilberman@StrategyPR.net&gt;; 'michael.kupferberg@strategypr.net' &lt;michael.kupferberg@strategypr.net&gt;; 'DDinerstein@annapurnapics.com' &lt;DDinerstein@annapurnapics.com&gt;; Farrar, Ekta</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Cc: 'sammys@annapurnapics.com' &lt;sammys@annapurnapics.com&gt;; Landau, Kate</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Sent: Mon Nov 25 07:16:22 2013</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Subject: DEADLINE PIECE--Oscars: David O.Russell’s ‘ American Hustle’ Wows At First Industry Screening</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Oscars: David O.Russell’s ‘ American Hustle’ Wows At First Industry Screening</FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">By PETE HAMMOND | Monday November 25, 2013 @ 12:44am PST</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Tags: American Hustle, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Sony Pictures</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">inShare</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">2</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">COMMENTS (3)</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Pete Hammond</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Another piece of the Oscar season puzzle was unveiled Sunday night when Sony held the first major screening of David O. Russell‘s American Hustle (12/13) at the Cary Grant Theatre on the Culver City lot. The packed crowd was largely made up of SAG and a few Academy members, plus select press. Since this and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street (12/25 and which begins screening at the end of the month) have been the two remaining question marks before we have a clear view of the complete competitive landscape, the unveiling of this one was hotly anticipated. It was definitely the place to be. In fact, one New York-based consultant working on the film flew in Sunday afternoon specifically for the screening and flew back on the red-eye immediately afterwards.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">If rivals were hoping it would be a bust, or at the very least a disappointment, I hate to bring them the bad news. Although formal reviews are verboten until early next month, I can say that from my vantage point, Russell, whose last two films Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Fighter (2010) were nominated for Best Picture and Director, as well as taking some acting Oscars, has another winner with a film that will have strong appeal particulary in the actors branch and at SAG. I also think, even in this fiercely contested year, Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Editing and Costume nods could be in the cards along with any number of possibilities for its superb ensemble including lead actor Christian Bale, lead actress Amy Adams, supporting actors Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner, and supportng actress Jennifer Lawrence.&nbsp; Especially Jennifer Lawrence. She is simply dazzling as Bale’s&nbsp; wife, a total knockout scene-stealer throughout. If she hadn’t already won last year as Best Actress for Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, there is no doubt she might be unbeatable here. At 23-years-old and the star of this weekend’s all-time November record breaker, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, she may well become the front runner anyway to take back-to-back Academy Awards after this performance gets seen. It’s prime Oscar bait. The actors, including voters I spoke to afterwards were clearly blown away. In fact the entire cast, which also includes a terrific unbilled one-scene cameo from Robert De Niro (who was nominated last year for Silver Linings) will certainly figure heavily for the SAG Outstanding Cast of a Motion Picture award. One person connected to the film to whom I spoke said early reaction had been on the mixed side, but I couldn’t detect that at this screening. It was all upbeat. Time will tell.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">At last week’s Governors Awards, Russell told me he simply couldn’t pass up the chance to do this film which offered strong roles for stars of his last two films. So Bale and Adams from The Fighter joined Cooper, Lawrence and De Niro from Silver Linings. I remember Russell talking about prepping this film&nbsp; while at the same time hitting the awards circuit last year. Somehow despite all that he has pulled it off.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">The film, loosely based on the 70s Abscam government sting operation which nailed several members of Congress, involves Bale and Adams in a con game where they team up with an out-of-control FBI agent played by Cooper. Bale is remarkable and, in customary fashion for him, put on 40 pounds and shaved his head so he could create a hairstyle with a god-awful combover. Adams is complex and excellent and Cooper, sporting a perm, matches his Oscar-nominated work in Silver Linings. Renner, even though playing a corrupt but likeable politician, also shines as the soul of this enterprise.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Russell’s last two films netted a total of seven acting nominations&nbsp; and three wins. I would expect more of the same this time. The director has a knack for getting the best from his performers and there is verve, excitement, energy and top-of-their-game acting in just about every frame. Russell puts these characters in your face and it’s something. It would be hard to imagine the actors branch passing this up despite killer competition in every category this year.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Afterwards Russell, Adams, Renner, co-star Elisabeth Rohm, editor Jay Cassidy, costume designer Michael Wilkinson and casting director Mary Vernieu appeared for a 40-minute Q&amp;A. Although it is loosely&nbsp; based on real-life events, Russell took Eric Singer’s existing screenplay and did what Renner termed was a page-one rewrite. He gave the characters priority. “The love triangle and emotions are the center of the piece. I love the way people walk and talk and dress as much as I love the story,” Russell said.&nbsp; Rohm added, “With David, it’s all about the truth. You can discover things in moments”.&nbsp; The actors all said it was a free-flowing atmosphere on set with ever changing script pages. Editor Cassidy, who also won an Oscar nomination for Silver Linings, echoed that when he said in the editing room, “I got to be there for the final re-write.” There was also improv. In fact Adams, who doesn’t often take credit,&nbsp; said a scene in which she impulsively grabs Lawrence in the ladies room and kisses her full-on on the lips was actually her idea and she praised Lawrence for making it work. “She’s amazing. She’s fearless. I’m fearful, but I will do anything except I will do it with a lot of thought. Unless Jennifer is keeping a secret though, she’s completely fearless,” she said.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">American Hustle itself&nbsp; is a fearless piece of American cinema and more evidence that David O. Russell is really on a roll. It’s my guess that Sony can add this one to Captain Phillips (which passed $100 million at the boxoffice this weekend) on its list of true contenders this season.</FONT></SPAN></P>
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